Device for displaying flags and the like on airplanes



E. PIEPER 1,973,389

DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING FLAGS AND THE LIKE ON AIRPLANES Sept. 11, 1934. 1

Filed May 2, 1932 to be separately attached to the airplane.

Patented Sept. 11, 1934 Wings r 7 DEVIGE-EOItDISPLAYiNG-FBAGS AND 1 LIKE ON AIRPLANES,

Ericlr-Pieper, Altona on-the- Elbe, Germany ApplicatiomMayw2,--1932, Serial No.- 608,749

. In GermanyApril 22, 1931- 3 Claims: (01. 40-127)- Methods for attaching long streamerstowaira planes are nothing new. Thus, for instance, mourning streamers can be attached to the trailing edges of the airplane wings and advertising 5 flags can be attached to the fuselage. These latter are held down by a ball so as to prevent their getting entangled with the control gear. It has happened several times that the ball detached itself, and this method is therefore no longer al- 919 lowed by the police authorities. Besides, the flag had to be dropped prior to landing, because it could not be hauled in.

This is where the present invention comes in. It concerns itself, for the first time, with a device The flag is wound up in this device and is capable of unwinding itself there. Figure 1 is a detail sectional view of the housing for the advertising flag with the latter partly extended therefrom,

Figures 2 and 3 are detail sectional views showing the winding reel for the flag,

Figure l is a top plan View of an airplane, with the advertising flag extended, and Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view 25 showing the winding spring for the flag reel.

The device is shown by Fig. 1. It has the streamline shape. It is advisable to design the shape of this device in such a way that, consequent upon the velocity of the airplane, it carries its own weight. It is further advisable to provide it with a detachable flap (1) through which the advertising surface or the advertising flag can be inserted in the body of the device. For this purpose a winding-up mechanism is provided, upper views of which are shown by Figs. 2 and 3. The rollers (2) winding up the flag, etc., have protecting parts (3) at their ends, which prevent the flag, etc. from getting entangled with the gear when it is wound up. The rollers are placed in position by simple elastic pressure, somewhat resembling the method used for Phonola rollers, etc., a spring 2a and a pin 2b being provided for rotating and inserting them. The rotation of the rollers is effected (as shown by Fig. 2) in such a way that r the main spindle (4) leads to the fuselage or that a cable line transmission is provided (5) which also leads to the fuselage. The cable is wound up when the flags leave the holding device and it is again unwound from the spindle (2) when the flags are hauled in. The flagas shown by Fig. 1--is provided with a catch (6), i. e., a small part (which may be the shape of an arrow) where the air can gather. The resulting draught makes it possible to pull the flag out of the device to the extent of a few centimeters, by slackening the cable line (5) orthespindle (4) After "the flagshas' left theiidev'ice i toe. the extent Just 'named,; .it automatically unwinds itself completely on account of the air current.

Where airplanes with more powerful engines are concerned, the stream-line 'body may be arranged vertically (so as to make the flag better visible) or instead of using one single body, several of them may be provided. In this case there would no longer be any inherent lifting capacity. 66?, If the air plane is of such a type that a variation in the amount of the load might endanger the stream-line body (1) owing to the lifting moment, it is advisable to forego the moment referred to either wholly or partly, and to be generous in 70E: calculating the measurements of the device as a carrier or to design the latter as a swinging mechanism.

It is advisable to use flagcloth as the material for the flag, so as to reduce the air resistance as w much as possible, because if other fabrics are used for the flag, the latter will always tend to flutter.

The receptacle for holding the flag can be attached to the machine in such a way that no difiiculties are encountered on starting. This Sil may be done, for example, by providing suitable rods and bracings through which the device can be lowered after starting, and it is only then that it occupies the position required for the flight. The most suitable arrangement, however, is to cause it to lie as centrally as possible to the propeller in the horizontal plane passing through the axis of the propeller. Most of the airplanes using advertising, etc., flags, have only one single propeller fitted midways in the front. Up to Q0 now the greatest nuisance in connection with advertising flags has been their fluttering about, which makes it impossible to read the text and which subjects the machine to undesirable shocks. This fluttering is avoided if the position of the flag in conformity with the invention is maintained intact, and this is only possible by the use of a device such as the one here described, out of which the flag can unwind itself. In the position here referred to the flag moves along 00 quietly and does not flutter about. This is due to considerations connected with the stream-line method. Moreover, if the flag is-as shown by Fig. 4--accommodated behind the elevator of the airplane, it can also be hauled in or let go from there as may be desired, without in any way interfering with the control gear of the machine. The advantage resulting from having a flag which does not flutter about is secured more mounted in the brackets and carrying an"ad-" vertising streamer, a pulley at each endof the roller, a cable attached to each pulley to be wound thereon when the streamer is unwound from the roller and said cables to bepulled for reversely rotating the roller to wind the streamer thereon and means at the outer free end of the streamer forming an air pocket to aid in unwindingthe streamer during flight of theairplane.

2. Means for displaying flags and the like on airplanes, especially for advertising purposes, comprising an advertising flag consisting of a netting-texture in one piece, a casing of streamline configuration for holding the flag when in wound condition, said casing being rigidly attached to the body of the airplane, a flap at the outer end of the flag acting as anopener, interchangeable rollers fastened to the casing and upon which the flag is wound, and means for rotating the rollers for winding the flag thereon and operable from the pilots cockpit.

3. A device for displaying flags and the like on airplanes comprising a casing of stream-line configuration forming a part of the airplane, a tensioned roller in the casing, a ribbon-like ad- -vertising flag wound on the roller, means on the outer end of the flag to facilitate unwinding ,thereof from the tensioned roller during flight and means for winding the flag on the roller duringv flight. A t. ERICH PIEPER. 

